D’Tigress of Nigeria’s quest for a perfect run at the ongoing 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifiers has been halted, after losing 77-60 to South Korea in Lyon, France.
Although already qualified for the finals in Germany by winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket. The qualifiers will serve as further preparation for the global tournament scheduled to take place in Germany from September 4th – 13th, 2026.
South Korea took the initiative early, knocking down long-range shots to edge the first quarter 20–16 as Nigeria struggled to match their shooting rhythm.
The second quarter was more balanced, with both teams scoring 16 points each, but the Koreans maintained their lead to go into halftime ahead 36–32.
South Korea gradually pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring Nigeria 22–19 to extend their advantage to 58–51 heading into the final period. Nigeria’s hopes of mounting a comeback faded in the fourth quarter as their offence stalled.
D’Tigress managed just nine points while the Koreans continued to capitalise on defensive lapses to secure a comfortable victory.
Victoria Macaulay finished as Nigeria’s standout performer with 22 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes.
The Rena Wakama side will take on the Philippines on March 14th. They will also play hosts France on March 15th and Germany on March 17th.
The 2026 World Cup host nation, Germany and continental champions, Belgium (Europe), United States (FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025 champions), Australia (Asia), and Nigeria (Africa) have already qualified for the World Cup, but they are still participating in the qualifying tournament.
In total, 24 national teams are competing across four global tournaments for the remaining places at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 in Berlin.
A total of 60 games will be played across four round-robin qualifying tournaments across the globe as teams battle for their places at the sport’s flagship international competition.
In most tournaments, the top three teams will qualify for the World Cup. However, because host nation Germany and the winners of the 2025 continental championships already have automatic qualification, 11 teams will progress from the qualifying tournaments to the World Cup.